Nero
It was now September and Nero found a job at an architectural firm that designed commercial buildings in the southern side of the city. He was disappointed that he wasn’t given as much freedom as he would have liked but didn’t complain as he was new to the firm and gave the prince simple buildings to design and propose to the engineers. His coworkers were surprised to learn that a prince was working at their firm, they quickly adjusted and disregarded his birth rank. He was like any other beginner architect and needed to learn the ropes. However, out of all of those things, the thing that Nero appreciated the most was that the firm he worked at was hygienically conscious. People took their shoes off at the door so as not to drag in dirt, there were sinks in every bathroom, and they had a full-time janitor who came in every morning and night to mop, wipe, and dust off the place.
Nero’s relationship with Raya improved steadily as the two talked about architecture, literature, and politics around the world. Every once in a while news came from the south of President Cain’s efforts to reform the country, but they never seemed to improve. Bills were being shot down left and right. He got a couple of letters from Wagner and Keon and they both said that the president refused to back down on any points, rather believing that he could convince the other side to change their minds.
On an early summer day, Nero had even found out about a coup attempt in the Lake Republic. There were four main people involved: Anson Eilas, Baldwyn Gavras, Cyril Bakas, and Deo Eparco. He felt like he recognized one of those names but couldn’t place it anywhere. When he found out about the coup attempt, he couldn’t tell if he was happy or sad about it. Sure, he hated that Hektor, but an undemocratic coup attempt is something he was generally against, though he figured he wouldn’t know how he would feel about it until he was in that situation itself. Besides, it didn’t matter, the coup attempt failed—how far they got was something the reports disagreed on—and the whereabouts of what happened to the coup members were unknown.
Nero’s mind went back to the Griffin Republic as he made his home one day from the market. He held a bag of vegetables as he and Raya were going to make soup for dinner, but when he came home and picked up the mail, he looked at the sole envelope in the mailbox and ran inside.
Nero threw the bag onto the table and held onto the letter. It was a plain envelope with a pink seal with a griffin depicted on it. Usually, royal mail was purple, but the only time pink was used was for emergencies, and as Nero tore open the letter, he was proven right.
Dear Nero,
It is Gala. I have good and bad news. The bad news is that Dad has fallen ill with what the doctors believe is cancer they never detected, but it seems that he has a month or two before he dies. I have talked to Dad and he is formally lifting your exile. You are to return to Gatherstorm immediately. Send a letter ahead of your departure to let me know that you are coming.
Now for the good news. I have talked with Dad and he has not only declared me as a legitimate daughter but declared me heir to the throne upon his death. It’s finally happening, all the things that we discussed and thought would be fantasy will actually happen. Romulus will surely not be happy of the news, but he is busy fighting the remnants of the People’s Lord in the south. I have made sure that he will not receive news of this until you arrive in Gatherstorm.
I am currently courting the military to our side, and it seems that after contacting General Pluto he has declared his loyalty for me. Again, come immediately. We have much to do.
Your sister,
Gala Qar
Nero fell silent as he dropped the letter onto the table. This entire time, Raya was looking at Nero with concern and asked if everything was okay. Nero clenched his jaw before turning to her and saying that he couldn’t tell her exactly what happened, but he needed to take the first boat up to Papertown before heading back home.
“Your exile has been lifted?!” Raya asked.
“It appears so.”
#
Nero paid for the fastest boats and coaches, but it still took a month to arrive in Gatherstorm, and by that time, Maximus had already died. When he arrived in Gatherstorm, he rushed into the palace and asked where Gala was. He had missed Maximus’s funeral and Gala’s coronation. Everything was going so fast that he needed a day to process it all, but he didn’t have that. Reports of fractures in the military grew more concerning every day. As he passed by Staff Harbor, he heard that his cousin, who was the earl of the city, declared neutrality in case of any conflict. It seemed that Romulus wasn’t going to back down.
After some investigation, Nero found out that Gala was sitting in the throne room presumably trying to secure her sudden rise. It was sunset, and Nero stopped in front of the closed doors of the throne room. He suddenly found himself unsure of his emotions. Was he mad or happy? Gala being queen would certainly be better for the country, but her claim to the throne was extremely weak and most certainly a lie. Nero found himself asking how Gala could do such a thing, but he knew that there was only one person who could answer that question. He took a deep breath, cracked his neck, and popped his collar before pushing the door forward and letting the sun behind Gala shine upon him as he entered her domain.
There were a couple of men who were talking to Gala, but they swiftly left the room when they saw Nero slowly yet firmly walk up to his sister. Gala sat there with the Griffin crown sitting neatly on her head, both arms on the hydra-decorated armrests, and a smile on her face as she greeted Nero.
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However, before Gala could speak and demand the tone of the conversation, Nero demanded that Gala explain what she was explaining. “Please, tell me that you have a plan. Romulus probably has an army marching up right now. The military, earls, and the people! How are they reacting?! I’ve been in this country for two weeks, and I hear vendors arguing with their customers about who is the rightful monarch!” Nero tried to appear strong and assertive, but it seemed that Gala took his increased voice and stern voice as panic.
“We have five earls already pledged to our loyalty. Many of the earls have declared neutrality which means we only have to deal with the ones loyal to Romulus.”
“And how many would that be?” Nero asked.
“All of the earls in Seneca’s Peninsula and the three he appointed in that conference a couple of months ago.”
Nero’s face dropped, and he no longer tried to appear strong in front of his now legitimate sister. “Please tell me if Dad actually appointed you his heir. If he didn’t, then we are fucked. If that is the case, it’s only a matter of time till the secret leaks out that you pressured him into it.”
“Who do you take me for?” asked Gala. “I am not a power-hungry diarch. There were witnesses when Dad named me heir. He told me that the earls would follow suit. They didn’t say anything when I appointed those earls after Lia killed them all, why should they revolt now?
“Because it’s Romulus. He’s been preparing for this since he was born. Killing two of the most well-known terrorists doesn’t exactly make you a pushover. You, the military, and the people may fear Romulus for how he killed Noah and Lia and don’t want him near the throne, but the earls admire his ruthlessness.”
“How would you know?” asked Gala.
“Otherwise, all the earls in Seneca’s Peninsula wouldn’t declare for him,” Nero sighed. A wave of heartburn and cold sweats ran through his body. His scar ached to be scratched, picked at, anything to distract him from the situation. “Weren’t you the one that stood in this very room and convinced Dad to calm down and not start a conflict with Dicon?”
“Yes, I was.”
“Then you should be the first one to realize that a civil war will destroy the people that you and I want to protect.”
Gala sighed. “Nero, your time in the Griffin Republic has made you not aware of our situation. If we do not act now, we won’t get another chance. Qar shall have a kingdom prefix for hundreds of more years if we don’t act now. We can’t let that happen.”
Nero hesitated and forced tears back as he remembered the War of the Republics. “Lucius died in my arms!” Nero walked up the stairs and was now at the same level as Gala. “I let a griffin die in vain! Thousands of people will die in this conflict. For what?!”
“They will not die,” assured Gala. “This will be an easy war. All of Romulus’s economic and political capital is in the peninsula. We shall march on King Harbor in the next couple of days, and we bring it into the fold. Earl Marcus shall be imprisoned for treason along with every other earl that sided with Romulus, and we shall replace them with puppets. If Romulus is forced to the south, his army shall starve.”
“And what army do we have to achieve this?”
“Romulus currently has 200,000 men in the south. Undoubtedly, the treasonous earls shall be raising thousands of their own. However, no matter how much they raise, it will not be as much as the 800,000 that remain loyal to us. That, combined with our speed shall roll over everything east of the Wine River.”
Nero sighed. Maybe Gala did have everything under control. Maybe their dreams of democracy finally shining off of Qar would be achieved after a brief civil war, dealing with unloyal remnants, and demystifying the royals. “And what shall you do with Romulus?”
Gala stood up and embraced Nero as she answered. “Make him watch as the idea of reunification disappears from his eyes.”
#
While Gala’s army marched east toward King Harbor, Gala and Nero spent most of their time in the throne room meeting with officials all around the territory that Gala controlled, trying to maintain control. A couple of days after when Gala’s army would arrive in King Harbor, an unexpected guest arrived at the palace. He was at first denied entry, but after informing the guards that he was with the People’s Lord, they let him in, but under the condition that his hand and feet were restrained.
So, he came with shackles around his body and was escorted by three guards. He had a receding hairline line, and thin eyes, and wore a Dicon ceremonial uniform. “I humbly ask the queen to remove these shackles,” he said as he stopped in front of the small set of stairs leading up to the thrones. Nero sat on a smaller throne to the left of Gala and looked silently, as Gala asked the man to identify himself. “My name is Benito Diaz. Captain of the Dicon Diarchy.”
Gala nodded at one of the guards, and his restraints were removed. “What do you want?” asked Gala.
“No, no. What does the diarchy want? That is the real question,” he said as he paced back and forth behind the small set of stairs. “The diarchs are willing to put aside some of our nations' differences in exchange for some conditions. First, we shall recognize your government as the legitimate government of Qar; second, we shall send supplies over to help with any resistance from the earls; and third, help put down any insurgent actives.”
“That you helped,” Gala corrected.
Benito gave out a short chuckle before continuing. “We will be willing to be offering those in exchange for some land concessions or changes in the government.”
“Changes in the government?” Nero inquired. “You mean foreign influence.”
“Please, let me speak with the queen in peace. No one needs interruptions from the prince.”
Gala rose from the throne. “You do not speak to my brother like that. He deserves the respect that he has earned.”
Benito raised his eyebrows and apologized. “I did not mean to insult the prince, but rather keep the conversation between the people who make the final decisions. Moving on, the change in the government entails that the kingdom reform into an elective monarchy.”
Gala looked back toward Nero, who shook his head. Gala slowly walked down the stairs as her royal purple dress dragged on the floor. She came face to face with Benito, who maintained a diplomatic smile. “Get out,” she calmly instructed.
“Excuse me?”
“Get out before I tour you around Gatherstorm and declare that the People’s Lord is you.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Benito responded. “If you would be patient, the identity of the People’s Lord should come out quickly.”
“With no conditions? What benefit would that bring to Dicon?”
“Many,” Benito smiled. “I’ll take your answer as a no. I’m sure you know that the diarchy has already prepared for such a contingency.”
Benito turned around before walking out of the throne room without being dismissed. Nero looked at Gala as her fist clenched. She probably wanted to have him imprisoned for trying to influence her government but couldn’t do anything out of the risk of causing an incident with the Dicon Diarchy. Eventually, she turned around and fell back onto the throne. “What do you think?” she asked Nero. “What do we do with the People’s Lord when Benito reveals his identity to the world?”
Nero turned his head and faced Gala. “If they stop murdering people, I suppose we could use their help.”